The present invention relates to a graphical user interface and particularly, but not exclusively, to a data processing system including a display unit for graphically displaying a plurality of user interface objects, said user interface objects comprising groups of related user interface objects, and pointing means for selecting one of said user interface objects, said selected user interface object being emphasised on said display unit using a first visual cue.
Data processing systems are usually provided with a graphical user interface (GUI) to allow a user to control the computer system and to present the results of user actions on the system display. In a graphical user interface, applications and data are generally presented as objects depicted on a user interface. A user is then provided with a graphical, intuitive interface to a complex data processing system which permits graphic selection of depicted objects and manipulation of applications corresponding to those objects.
Typically the graphical display of the interface is arranged on a screen to resemble a desktop. Displayed information corresponding to multiple applications which are simultaneously invoked and caused to operate is displayed in respective rectangular regions of the screen called windows, resembling a plurality of electronic paper sheets. There may be several windows simultaneously present on the desktop with each window displaying information that is generated by a different application program. Each application program presents information to the user through its window by drawing images, graphics or text within the window region. The user, in turn, communicates with the application by pointing at standard graphical objects in the window with a pointer that is controlled by a pointing device, such as a mouse, and then selecting the objects, or by typing information into a keyboard associated with the monitor. Selection of the objects may be effected by actuating the mouse to move the pointer onto or near the objects and pressing and quickly releasing, i.e. clicking, a button on the mouse, or by manipulating a cursor via the keyboard.
These user interface objects may be easily manipulated utilizing a standard set of interface commands. For example, the user may move the windows around on the display screen, change their sizes and appearances, shrink down a window to an icon, rearrange the objects in relative background/foreground position so as to arrange the desktop in a convenient manner.
There are a number of different graphical user interface environments commercially available which utilize the arrangement described above. These environments include the System 7 operating system developed by Apple Computer, Inc. (System 7 is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.), the Windows graphical user interface developed by the Microsoft Corporation (Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation) and the OS/2 Presentation Manager developed by International Business Machines Corporation (OS/2 and Presentation Manager are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation).
Many applications make use of several user interface objects, typically windows and icons, that are related logically. Such objects are often child objects of a main or parent window object. Different applications can also be organized into groups of applications, each of which are related by function.
A problem in a graphical user interface is that when several applications are opened simultaneously, the desktop may assume a cluttered appearance and it is then very hard to find out which objects are related to which other objects. Association of objects belonging to a particular set is then difficult.
The use of lines, shading, or decoration on the border for indicating families of windows is suggested in "Designing the User Interface--Strategies for Effective Human-Computer Interaction"--Second Edition, Ben Shneiderman, The University of Maryland, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company Inc., 1992, Page 361, FIG. 9.19.
The OS/2 Workplace developed by International Business Machines Corporation features the use of collections of related windows (work area) whose behavior is coordinated. If the user minimizes a work area all windows opened from an object in that work area are removed from the desktop; if a user restores a work area, all windows that were open when the work area was closed are restored to their previous positions. The OS/2 Workplace is described in "OS/2: The Workplace"--M. Tyne, Computer Information Associates, 1992; the work area is described in "Object-Oriented Interface Design: IBM Common User Access Guidelines--The Official Guide", published by QUE, ISBN 1-56529-170-0.
European Patent Application 0 508 927 describes a method for associating dialogs or other windows with the application to which they refer. When a dialog appears, the application to which the dialog belongs can be identified by looking at a reserved area of the screen. It does not differentiate between different instances of the same general windows which are related to each other, within the same primary application. Each of the different instances would have the same icon displayed in the reserved area of the screen.
A drawback of the prior art is that none of the known systems takes into account the scenario when a user is running more than one instance of the same application; in such situation, association of windows belonging to a particular instance of a process is difficult. Actually, the desktop displays several identical windows at the same time, so that the user cannot find out which windows are related to which others. For example, the user would like to use a particular tool related to the window at present selected (active window); such tool produces data that directly affect the content of the active window. If different instances of the same tool are available in the desktop, it is very difficult to find out which is the correct one related to the active window.
In addition, in some of the systems known in the art, when the user clicks on any window he has all the related windows brought to the foreground; these objects cover all other windows, changing significantly the layout of the user's screen even when not required.
The above drawbacks of the prior art are overcome by the invention as claimed.